Lighting Problems

[NoElf]

G'day all,

I've returned to painting after a few years hiatus, and I'm wondering if anyone can help with a problem I have.

My room in the place I've got is very dark. It gets the sun up until about 10:30am but after that it's pretty dim indeed. Also because I'm at work most days and because weekends aren't always that free, late afternoon and night is usually the only free time I have to paint.

Painting under the room light leads to all kinds of problems and when the mini is exposed in natural light it reveals a myriad of mistakes, so currently my regime is I base coat and do the layering in the afternoons and evenings during the week and try make some time free on saturday or sunday to do the highlight and shadowing. However this impedes things once everything reaches that stage.

So, after exhausting your hearing thus far, my question is - is there any kind of lighting or light bulbs one can get to simulate natural daylight, and if so, are there any particular brands that are better than others?

Many thanks for any assistance you may be able to provide.

 

[QuietiManes]

There's many threads on this subject you can search for to get a ton of info.

There are better lights. You can get "daylight" or "full spectrum" or "indoor plant growing" bulbs just about anywhere for just about any type of home light fixture. The price is low but the quality can also be on the low end of colour rendering.

You can get bulbs for photography in the 5k-6k range (colour temperature, not price) which aren't too expensive and have really nice light.

Then there are the really expensive options, like the Ott-lights you see on Antiques Road Show and hydroponic lights and other assorted "professional" set ups. But I don't think most people want to spend thousands on their light bulb.

 

[Einion]

So, after exhausting your hearing thus far, my question is - is there any kind of lighting or light bulbs one can get to simulate natural daylight, and if so, are there any particular brands that are better than others?

Yes, plenty nowadays. See this thread from just a week or so ago that touches on the same topic:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?52641-Light-sources

Just to emphasise something here that is mentioned in some of the older threads: while better light is desirable it's not essential; the one thing you must aim for is more light.

Painting under the room light leads to all kinds of problems and when the mini is exposed in natural light it reveals a myriad of mistakes...

Is this actually as much of a problem as you think? Don't get me wrong, we're all very familiar with the issue - things painted under artificial like often look crap when viewed in daylight! However, miniatures aren't commonly looked at in daylight. So to a degree you should actually paint for viewing under common room light.

...

My usual recommendation, if you have to paint under artificial light some or most of the time, is to deliberately switch to painting under artificial light all of the time. Although I too would normally paint only at night this is why I hung blackout curtains in my painting room; that way I always paint under the same lighting. Obviously with this kind of setup you can paint during any window of free time and get consistent results.

And frankly, daylight is overrated as a lightsource anyway. Don't get me wrong, it can be great, but its variability is just a nightmare!

Einion

 

[NoElf]

Thanks for that. I'll have a look and do some research then.